Aussie troops investigated over alleged war crimes against children

A SECRET Defence inquiry is examining the conduct of several Australian troops in relation to the alleged killing of at least two children, an ABC investigation has revealed.

It has been alleged that one of the boys, Khan Mohammed, 14, was collecting figs when he was shot dead by Australian special forces on morning patrol in 2012.

The boy’s body was reportedly left where it fell and later recovered by local villagers who claimed the killing was never reported up the official chain of command.

In a statement, an Australian Federal Police spokesperson confirmed the matter had been referred to the Australian Defence Force for investigation.

“On 2 September 2016 the Chief of Army Australia Defence Force (ADF) referred a matter to the AFP relating to an allegation of an unlawful killing by the ADF in Afghanistan in 2012,” the statement said.

“The AFP is undertaking an evaluation of the matter referred, and as such it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

Images obtained by the ABC show the young boy’s dead body alongside some of his belongings.

Khan’s family members told the national broadcaster that his body was discovered among large rocks.

The ADF has also confirmed the inquiry will probe the deaths of a second boy and an adult male.

Bismillah Azadi and his son Sadiqullah were killed in September 2013, allegedly following a raid by Australian SAS troopers in the Uruzgan province.

The troops have been cleared of any wrongdoing with a previous investigation ruling Bismillah was “almost certainly” a Taliban sympathiser. Azadi’s family has refuted the claims.

A decorated special forces veteran, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the allegations “underline his concerns about a culture of recklessness”.

“I saw innocent people killed who didn’t need to die or deserve to die, in circumstances that were unwarranted and ultimately avoidable. This behaviour was in direct conflict with what I believed it meant to be a special forces soldier,” the veteran said.

He also revealed that Australian special forces troops openly discussed “planting” weapons, such as “pistols or knives” on the bodies of death Afghans to falsely show they had been armed when killed.

The inquiry started last year and is being overseen by NSW Supreme Court judge Paul Brereton.